Bringer of Tides: The Story of Reo
by DaGibzz
Summary: Sure, while dying in a car-crash isn't exactly peaceful, I never expected to be reborn in a world where "peace" and "tranquility" were words usually reserved for the people that could literally make entire towns disentegrate with a few handseals.
1. Rebirth

"John, you really shouldn't text and drive. I know you say you can handle it, but isn't that what they all say?"

I pause as I'm scrolling through my phone with one hand and holding the steering wheel with the other. I lock the phone, and my reflection is clear in the black glass.

"Yeah, you're right, Ma. Sorry."

The woman in the seat next to me, my mother, the woman that gave birth to me and raised me, that made me the man I am today, didn't see the truck going eighty miles-per-hour into the side of the car until she woke up a few minutes later being strapped onto a stretcher.

My beautiful mother, not a day over 60, had enough strength to reach up and grab the young latino man by the arm. She couldn't speak, but the tears forming in her eyes conveyed exactly what she needed them to.

The EMT could barely bring himself to shake to his head, no.

I was killed on impact.

* * *

For a while, I was floating. Cliche, yeah, I know. I still feel uncomfortable retelling this story because of how cliche it all is, so just bear with me.

So, i'm floating. Except, it doesn't feel like floating. I don't feel anything, really. And yet, it's as if as soon as the thought forms in my mind that I'm not feeling anything, I begin feeling warmth all around me. Warmth, and an odd sense of being underwater.

So, birth is an odd thing to experience a second time. Not to mention when your mental faculties are fully mature the second time around.

My lungs burned as they slowly transitioned to breathing air. Not really knowing what else to do, and feeling so unbelievably upset at the realization I was being born again, I wailed. I let everything out.

For a long time, months and months, my senses weren't acclimating at all. I felt like all day I would cry when I shat myself, and scream when I was hungry. I had no control. Despite my mind running a mile a minute, the connection between my mind and my body simply wasn't there.

Most days I cried because of my mother. Sorrow seemed to be the only thing that worked the same.

Voices and shapes would talk to me, talk to other shapes, and carry me around and do things every day. Most were unfamiliar. One shape was a constant, however. Something about the shape was warm. I could feel it swirling around the both of us. When other shapes, that I deduced had to be other people, would come near me, I could feel the swirling energy. There were only three that were even close to being similar to mine. My mother and father, I assumed, and a sibling. My father's voice was deep, obviously, and my mother's soft. However, my sibling's voice was very easily recognized to be female. Not very much older than me, either.

It took me many nights of crying and screaming to get over the fact that I wasn't living in a dream. In fact, I never really did. To this day, I think about my mother every day and send her prayers. I only hope that wherever she is, she gets them.

Back to my infant stage. Despite my unnatural hesitation to bond with this woman, over time I accepted the fact that she was (probably) just a regular woman that only wanted to love her child, and her childe to love her, unconditionally. And something tugged at my gut every time I tried to resist. I quickly realized the bond with this woman was on a chemical level. I scientifically wanted to love this woman, and grow from her nurturing. Over the months I grew to need her. My original dislike for her quickly transformed to a deep need to get to know this woman as soon as my physical capabilities allowed it.

Over time, the language these people used seemed to click in my head. Nothing that I could speak, no, but a language I at least recognized. Japanese.

So at least I wasn't in some insane, alien world or universe were no semblance of reality was even close to what I had known. Maybe, I was simply reincarnated as a Japanese baby.

But that didn't explain the swirling energy I felt inside me. Over time, this energy inside me slowly grew and grew, until one day I simply couldn't contain it any longer.

I began trying to interact with this energy in any way I could. For a long time I simply couldn't do anything with it. Then, one day, I commanded energy to gather in my palm. And it did. I could feel some energy move down my arm and collect right at the base of my wrist. I was a laughing, giggly mess for the rest of the night.

As the days progressed, my senses steadily began to snap into focus. My sense of sight began to get better than my eyesight in my previous life.

Allow me to clarify; I could distinguish shapes and colors easily enough in my previous life, but without glasses that was about it. So this new eyesight was another thing that made me absolutely giddy with excitement.

Then, one day, the regular interactions with my new family clicked.

I was sitting in a highchair, being fed–with our mother's assistance–by my sister.

The first thing that registered, since I had never thought it odd before, was the strikingly-pink hair on my sister. And then, seemingly snapping into perfect clarity out of nowhere, was the face of a very young Sakura Haruno smiling with glee at her baby brother.

* * *

It was sooner than one might think to acclimate to the fact that I had not only been reborn into the Narutoverse, but as a non-existent younger brother of one of the main characters, who also happened to be one of my favorite characters.

I only say that because I literally had hours, if not entire days at a time to process this fact.

I was partially excited, partially dumbfounded, and more than a little scared. Would I be able to hang, so to speak? Would I be an important character in the grand scheme of this story? Or would I fade into the background while the true protagonists did their thing?

I guess since i'm telling you this story, I'm at least alive at the end, so you can look forward to that.

As for adjusting to my family, my new life, I found it unnaturally easy to fall into the role of little-brother-that-would-protect-his-older-sister-like-an-older-brother. The fact that I never had the chance to experience this type of affection in my past life, and that Sakura was one of my all-time-favorite characters, made it remarkably easy to love her as a brother would.

I guess, in a since, there wasn't any doubt about it. I was her brother. And at some point, I decided i'd try my hardest to make that be in every possible way.

Sakura was only three years older than I was, only barely being past the age of potty-training and speech when I was born. But for some reason it was much easier to associate with a four year old then I had ever thought possible for someone with a mind that was in it's late-twenties.

It was also very easy to pick up Japanese when it was the only thing people spoke.

"Mommy! Reo says we need to eat!"

Ah, yes. Reo. Reo Haruno. I think it has a certain ring to it.

Mebuki chuckled as she carried in a tray of snacks for Sakura and formula for me. After an explanation from Mebuki to Sakura, I found that this was not just regular baby formula, but it also helped the growth and flow of my chakra and my chakra coils.

So when I say I tried to swallow the stuff faster than Mebuki could buy it, I'm not exaggerating.

Days went by like this, eventually morphing into months, and those morphing into years.

Funny enough, the first word my punt vocal chords could produce was, "Mommy!"

Mebuki had bawled her eyes out at that one, and once I realized they were tears of joy, I laughed along with her and tried my hardest to suffocate her with a hug when she picked me up.

I still felt a pang of guilt every now and then. I felt as though I was betraying my real mother.

But being a toddler brought time. And time brought acceptance that nothing could have changed the outcome.

I was Reo Haruno, now. And while I will certainly never forget who I was, I wouldn't let it burden me now.

* * *

Yeah, so, this is short, but, I have an undying need to post this. It's 3, no, 4 in the morning, and I won't be able to sleep until I know I've gotten this idea to the public.

Obviously this comes from the wonderful fic, Dreaming Of Sunshine, by Silver Queen. (If you haven't read that yet... What are you doin' with ya life?)

I've also really loved Sakura for a long time, so I thought what better way to write a story where she's an important character than one like this?

I can say a very big inspiration for writing this is also Kill Your Heroes, by the wonderful Evil Is A Relative Term. That is another absolutely incredible fic, so go give the both of them some love!

So, as for this story, I literally only have this written, but I can assure you that I will definitely be working on this more. The first few chapters will obviously be slow, but I intend to pick up the pace at around the third or fourth chapter. Not by much, of course, but that's when the original time line will have started.

So, thank you all for reading this little tid-bit, and expect the next chapter soon!

With love,

DaGibzz.


	2. La La Land

Shinobi training exercises were hard. Even the ones for a six year old.

I went through more physical training in a month than I had in an entire year in my past life, and I had made an effort to go to the gym daily. And, once again in case you had forgotten, I was only four.

It was odd, how hard Mebuki trained us. Almost like she expected the Fourth War as much as I did. Not that I minded, of course.

Since I actually _did_ know there would one day be a multi-dimensional battle that would decide the fate of millions, I realized the blessing in disguise that I was given.

The thing about the Naruto series is that the main characters didn't begin the series preparing for all-out war. Sure, many of the strongest characters–people now, not just characters anymore–had lived through wars and come out stronger because of it. But there was no one alive that would be prepared for an alien Hyūga-knockoff to try and steal all the chakra that she claimed was hers.

She pretty much claimed _all_ chakra as hers, but that was neither here nor there.

So an extra lap or two or two-hundred wasn't too big of a sacrifice in the grand scheme of things.

Sure, we fell asleep every night with sore muscles, but neither of us ever really wanted to complain.

* * *

I suppose it was inevitable, but I eventually decided that I should try and enter the academy early. Sakura was the main driving force behind it, but I had known for some time that I needed to. The sooner I could interact with the main characters, the sooner I could begin really changing things.

So if I thought I had been working my ass off before, I was sorely mistaken. I trained harder, for longer amounts of time, and when I wasn't training my body I was training my mind.

I sucked in information like I was a vacuum and knowledge was the cluster of dust-bunnies underneath the sofa.

To my surprise, Mebuki was more than approving of my very uncharacteristic-for-a-four-year-old pursuits.

When I asked her if she could find me a book on Genjutsu Theory, she was ecstatic, and a book that was thicker than my chest was on my desk the next day.

This immense amount of study seemed to spur Sakura into action. Not daring to let her little brother become more intelligent than her, she dove headfirst into books just as much as I did.

What surprised me the most, however, was her dedication to keeping up with the same training regimen Mebuki had amped up for me.

She found time to complain about that, of course.

* * *

My mother had insisted I wait until the age of 5 before I enter the academy. She wouldn't have her child become the next Kakashi Hatake, as she often said.

She never explained what she meant, but then again Sakura was the only one that didn't understand it.

So despite many attempts to sway her opinion, I was stuck waiting to enter the academy at the normal age of 5. Not too big of a deal, as I still trained like a mini Gai, but enough of a setback to worry me.

Would three years be too long of a jump? I knew what I was capable of. I knew I could keep up with Sakura. On a good day, I was stronger and faster than her. But would that be enough to keep up with the rest of the Rookie 9? Was Sakura even that good of a measurement of skill? I had no way of knowing. The only reference I had was Mother, and on the rare occasions when Father could spend more than a day at home.

And seeing as they could both

move fast enough to be nothing more than a displacement of air to my four year old eyes, it wasn't a very good reference.

* * *

On many nights, when my mind was too active after a long day of training, I contemplated my situation.

A visitor in a world not my own. A person that for all intents and purposes shouldn't exist. Yet here I am.

Would I be able to make a difference? I began to worry. The original Naruto series turned out relatively okay. Most of the bad things that happened were before Naruto's time, so essentially there wouldn't be much for me to save. The Uchiha Massacre had happened before I realized it.

Maybe I could save the Jinchuuriki? But I would need to be on some sort of mission at the time, I wouldn't be able to just leave Konoha on a whim. Maybe... I could stop Sasuke from leaving. Or would that be wrong? Would he be able to be as strong if he stayed? And what about Jiraiya? If there was some way...

I let out a growling curse as I rolled over on the mattress.

There were so many unknowns. Even if I had the ability to change the events of this world, should I? Would the outcome be better, or could it be some kind of butterfly effect that ends in the world burning?

It was so hard to decide. I didn't even know where to begin. Countless nights were spent just like this. Sleepless, until exhaustion took away my strength to keep my eyes open. And as soon as I couldn't keep myself from sleep any longer, the dreams I did have were few and far between.

And all of them were nightmares.

* * *

Yeah, short chapter, sue me. I've been doin' a lot of work on this chapter, doing research into the correct time frames and such, so if you find anything wrong, always feel free to let me know with a review! Expect more soon, as I plan on getting to the goodstuff next chapter!

~DaGibzz


	3. Psuedo-sensor types be like

So, last chapter was a little bit leaning towards one-shot territory, but I kind of just wanted to hurry and get to the real action. I do apologize, as this chapter is once again another setup chapter for the action to come, but I feel like it wouldn't flow properly if I didn't stop it here. So, enjoy.

* * *

Entering the academy had been the easy part. Having the skill and power level to be moved up to Sakura's class had been the easy part.

Convincing our mother to let me be moved up after she hadn't let me start early? That was where the difficulty began.

An argument that night had erupted between our parents. They often argued over trivial things, and never had any real venom behind their barbs, but tonight the temperature in the house seemed to drop below freezing.

"Kizashi, he is a child! He's... He's not ready to be thrown into the world! Even in a four man cell!"

My father was a calm man. He always had been.

"Mebuki, Sakura is only four years older than him. She is still a child as well."

"It's the not the same, damnit! She's-"

Kizashi slammed a hand on the table. There was always silence when my father demanded it.

"This is no longer a time of war, Mebuki. There isn't chatter about tensions rising, except with Iwa, but when are they not pushy? He won't be forced to go through the things we did, hell, he probably won't need to take a life until he's Chūnin. Same for Sakura. Give him this, Mebuki. Let him be with his sister. You know how protective he is of her, and you know he's stronger than her."

The usually-boisterous woman was quiet for a long time. I heard shuffling of feet, and heard the sound of their embrace.

"Oh, Kizashi... They're growing up so fast. I never thought..."

She choked back a sob. I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. My father's low tones carried to my ears, but they were too soft to make out.

I swiftly returned to bed, only to find Sakura had been listening as well.

"Reo... What do you think Mom and Dad went through in the wars? They never talk about it..."

I contemplated this for a moment.

The aspect of taking a life of another person was still a foreign one, despite the academy doing their best to desensitize us with propaganda and the "Will of Fire."

Lives had to be taken as Ninja, as we were the protectors of Konoha. Of our families and friends. I had never truly grasped how grim of a life a Shinobi led in my old life.

Now, being educated on the best ways to do just that was a shell-shock, to say the least.

"They had to fight, and kill, and survive. Otherwise Konoha would have burned. Sometimes it did regardless, but we're here because of the lives they had to take."

I couldn't tell how Sakura took that answer. She understood things much better than I had at her age, but there was no telling if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

After a relatively sleepless night, the next morning was my first day in my new class.

"Alright everyone, listen up!"

Why was I nervous? These are all just kids.

Kids that played a major role in the outcome of life itself later on, but kids nonetheless.

"Today we're welcoming a new student to our class. Reo-kun has been bumped up from Second Year."

Feverish whispering broke out across the classroom. All eyes were on me, but the gaze that seemed the hardest came from the resident Uchiha.

Hooray Me.

"Reo-kun, would you like to introduce yourself? Maybe say a few things about you?"

I realized there was no way I could play this that didn't draw everyone's attention. The last student to graduate early had left quite an impact on Konoha's populace.

"Sure. I'm Reo Haruno, Sakura's brother. I like Dango, I guess, and I enjoy training with my sister. My favorite thing to do when i'm not training is read. Uhm... Well, if... if you have any other questions about anything else, feel free to ask them."

Kiba immediately sat up straight.

"Yeah, what makes you so special? Not just anyone can up and skip four years."

I shrugged, trying to be as unassuming as possible. My hair was as pink as Sakura's, though, so that obviously wasn't easy.

"I guess I just already know all of it? There's no point in wasting years of time that could be spent doing missions."

It was an honest answer, although Iruka was puzzled by it. Most kids he taught wanted to be Shinobi to be the Hero, or save the princess; something along those lines.

I just wanted to hurry up and get as strong as possible. For obvious reasons.

No one else had questions, or possibly didn't feel like asking them now would be polite. I was perfectly fine with that and quickly made my way to the seat next to Sakura. Ino was on her other side.

"I never knew you had a brother, Sakura! He's a cutie," Her grin was... Sadistic, to say the least. Very offsetting.

"I'm also seven. And even if I wasn't seven, we'd both be very underage."

I knew she didn't mean it like that, but the way her pale cheeks turned a brighter red than Sakura's shirt was priceless.

"I hope we can all treat Reo equally, and get along with each other. There's no need to feel competitive towards him, he's a regular student like the rest of you. And that's specifically to you, Kiba."

The Inuzuka just shrugged, giving me a smug grin over his shoulder.

This should be entertaining, at least.

* * *

After a week or two of trying my absolute hardest to ignore the presence of Konoha's Jinchūriki, the cosmos decided he'd find an interest in me instead.

"Oi! You're Sakura's brother, right?"

I sighed and swallowed another bite of the beef stick in my hand. It was going to happen eventually I suppose.

"Yes, and the name's Reo, not 'Oi.'"

"That was going to be my next question. My names Naruto Uzumaki, and don't forget it! I won't forget your's."

I was puzzled at that.

"Uhm, why? Did I offend you, or something?"

The boy cheekily grinned, "No, not at all! It's just that Kurama-chan told me you were special and I should get to know you really well and become your friend!"

My jaw hit the floor before the beef stick did.

* * *

Cliffhangers/Short chapters are an unnecessary punishment for you all, so I do apologize. Just have some life-induced writer's block, you know how it is. I'm sure if ff net was monetized, i'd pump out chapters every week, but a man can only wish. Like I said, next chapter will be a bit of a jump to the time canon begins.

And oh boy will I have fun deciding what the hell I'm going to fuck up next!

With love,

~DaGibzz


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